The present invention addresses a common problem of pet owners--leaving the animals at home unattended for a period from a couple of days to 1-2 weeks. Leaving a large amount of food is not a solution, since in most of the cases such food is consumed immediately. Arrangements with someone to look after the animals are not always possible. Boarding the pets is often an unjustified expensive alternative, bearing also the risk of the animal trying to escape from a foreign place.
Animal feeding apparatuses trying to solve the above-mentioned problem are described in a number of patents. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,782,790 an endless belt conveys the food from a hopper to a container accessible to the animal.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,949,909 a vibrator is mounted within a sleeve, suspended in a hopper. The vibrator has an extended portion through the sleeve's lower end, to which a food dispensing plate is attached.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,277 three downwardly sloping platforms are located one over another in a zigzag manner. A vibration means is attached to the middle platform, ensuring the food transfer form the middle to the bottom platform. A vertical trap door is operated by a latching device, actuated synchronously with the vibration means.
Other teachings in the prior art are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,542,251, 4,077,699, 4,182,273, 4,315,483, 4,497,280, 4,513,688, 4,688,520.
The apparatuses for automatic food dispensing, known so far, have the common disadvantage of incorporating many parts in complex mechanisms, thus reducing the reliability and making the commercial realization of such devices extremely difficult due to high production costs and specific conditions of use--from people of all levels of technical knowledge in private home environment.